There are a ton of Antibacterial products on the shelves now a days. Seems everyone is growing more and more into germ freaks and have antibacterial or hand sanitizer at every reach. My kids get sick every year, as well as my husband and I. When the kids are in school, who knows what germs will come along, every single day. My husband works as a General Manager at a restaurant, he deals with tons of people daily as well. Germs are everywhere! How do we manage them?

If we use germ killers and antibiotics at every sniffle and sneeze they won’t be able to fight ANY germs on their own. How can we have a balance of trying to kill the everyday germs but also try to let the natural germs build up in the kids systems so they have a strong immune system. Sometimes we can get carried away. Its easy! Public restrooms, little hands everywhere, sneezing into the air, runny noses and it doesn’t end there. Ugh, it’s a parents nightmare!

To help prevent my kids from getting sick, we have regular rules we follow everyday throughout the year to minimize anything that comes our way.

Rules in our home to stay healthy:

What I discovered with these few simple rules, is when a bug does hit our home, they don’t prevent us from being sick free all year but we are only sick for a few days versus a few weeks. We get over the bug much faster.

To add to our list of concerns have you seen the ingredients in those antibacterial products? What are they?

Let’s start with Triclosan and triclocarban. They are antibacterial chemicals commonly added to consumer products. In laboratory studies, they have been shown to disrupt hormones and can encourage the growth of drug-resistant bacteria or “superbugs.”

Animal studies have shown both of these chemicals can interfere with hormones critical for normal development and function of the brain and reproductive system. Triclosan has been associated with lower levels of thyroid hormone and testosterone, which could result in altered behavior, learning disabilities, or infertility. Triclocarban has been shown to artificially amplify the effects of sex hormones such as estrogen and testosterone, which could promote the growth of breast and prostate cancer.

Furthermore, laboratory studies suggest that triclosan and triclocarban may be contributing to antibiotic resistance in bacteria known to cause human infections. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls antibiotic resistance one of the most pressing health issues facing the United States. Infections caused by bacteria with resistance to at least one antibiotic have been estimated to kill more than 60,000 hospitalized patients each year.

Surveys of the U.S. population from ages 6 to over 65 have found residues of triclosan in over three-quarters of people. Though triclosan has been measured in house dust, most people are likely to be exposed by applying products that contain triclosan to their skin. One study of nursing mothers found higher levels of triclosan in blood and breast milk of women who used personal care products containing triclosan.

The issues don’t just stop there though, they harm the environment as well. We live a few blocks from the beach so caring for our waterways is huge in our family. Most of these nasty products get washed down the drain, where they enter our waterways and are then transported widely throughout the environment. Triclosan is one of the most frequently detected chemicals in streams across the U.S. and both triclosan and triclocarban are found in high concentrations in sediments and sewage sludge where they can persist for decades.

In the environment, antibacterial compounds could disrupt aquatic ecosystems and pose a potential risk to wildlife. Traces of triclosan have been found in earthworms from agricultural fields and Atlantic dolphins. In the lab, triclosan has been shown to interfere with development of tadpoles into frogs, a process that is dependent on thyroid hormone.

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So of course here at Wildroot Naturals, we created a natural Antibacterial Soap! My husband came up with the name “Dirty Boy”! Fits perfectly. This has been our best seller since we put in on the market. It works well, doesn’t dry your skin, kills germs naturally and lasts! We started a sale that will go through October Buy 4 Bars get 1 Free! Shop Now!

What kind of products do you use to help kill germs? Do they work well for you and your family?